Iron-Catalyzed Amide Bond Formation from Carboxylic Acids and Isocyanates

We describe an iron-catalyzed amide bond formation from readily available carboxylic acids and isocyanates. This method utilizes an abundant and biocompatible iron catalyst and easily accessible starting materials, generates CO2 as the only byproduct, and features broad substrate scopes with good functional group compatibility. Therefore, it provides a cost-effective and practical protocol to access a diverse variety of amides.